Dr. Marilyn Hubner is a faculty member with the University of Fredericton (UFred). Her academic background includes an undergraduate degree in National Parks and Wildlife Management with an Honors in Indigenous Knowledge, a Master of Education and Adult Vocational Training, a Ph.D. in Adult Education that focused on the attitudes and perceptions of construction site supervisors toward safety training, and multiple diplomas in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
Beyond formal education, Dr. Hubner also has a well-rounded professional background: Her career began with the Australian Army before transitioning into the civilian world, where her professional experience includes sectors such as youth support, social work, safety, education, and academia.
“It has been a little bit like a box of chocolates. I never really found my favourite, and as a lifelong learner – I keep searching (and eating chocolate).”
Developing a passion for occupational health and safety: Professional experience and successes
Dr. Hubner’s career has spanned a range of sectors and experiences. She has supported Indigenous youth in finding work placements and worked in social work roles that saw her mentoring and coaching unemployed people, helping them to reintegrate into the workforce.
Her work in health and safety began after being voted into a Health and Safety Representative role. This voluntary position required her to complete a training course, which left such a significant impression on her that it created an ever-growing passion for the field of OHS. As she has continued in her career, she is proud to have found a way to combine her love of educating others and safety through her work with the National Safety Council of Australia, and then later also in the role of Instructor at UFred.
There have been several moments over the course of her professional experience that Dr. Hubner deems her greatest professional achievements, the first being creating her own company, BuildUp Research. Her company offers clients personalized safety education and consultancy opportunities.
Another highlight of her career has been the connections she has created within the safety community and the learning opportunities those connections have fostered. Through this community of OHS practitioners and educators, Dr. Hubner has had the opportunity to share her knowledge internationally.
“I’m proud of is my involvement with the safety community in Australia, Canada, and the USA. I am honoured to be a part of the global safety community and to volunteer my time to act in leadership positions within the safety associations.”
Dr. Hubner is currently the chair of the Practitioner Pathway Program with the Australian Institute of Health and Safety and a member of their research committee, a committee member for both the Training and Communication Practice Specialty and the Leadership Conference through the American Society of Safety Professionals, and was previously a member of the Indigenous Task Force for the Canadian Society of Safety Engineers.
Online learning and its role in the future of safety education
Dr. Hubner was first introduced to online learning while working with the National Safety Council of Australia. Initially, she had reservations about offering online education to those in hands-on positions such as construction, health, and manufacturing, but over time she grew to appreciate the benefits of this format, including the ability to share global knowledge amongst her international peers.
“From my perspective as the facilitator of learning, I believe that the most valuable part of online learning is the opportunity to gain perspective from a wide variety of students. In my classes at UFred, I have students from all over the world participating, and this provides the students (and faculty members) with a wider worldview.”